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Islamic Art

Mirror of the Invisible World

UPF is proud to present its latest documentary film, Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World. This new ninety-minute film takes audiences on an epic journey across nine countries and over 1,400 years of history. It explores themes such as the Word, Space, Ornament, Color and Water and presents the stories behind many great masterworks of Islamic Art and Architecture.

Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World was broadcast nationally on PBS on Friday, July 6, 2012.

The film explores the richness of Islamic art in objects big and small, from great ornamented palaces and the play of light in monumental mosques to the exquisite beauty of ceramics, carved boxes, paintings and metal work. It revels in the use of color and finds commonalities in a shared artistic heritage with the West and East. The film also examines the unique ways in which Islamic art turns calligraphy and the written word into masterpieces and develops water into an expressive, useful art form.

Like all art, Islamic art carries with it the fundamental values and perspectives of the artists who created it as well as those who commissioned and paid for it. It incorporates the basic themes of transcendent beauty common to all creative endeavors.

Narrated by Academy Award winning performer Susan Sarandon, this dazzling documentary reveals the variety and diversity of Islamic art. It provides a window into Islamic culture and brings broad insights to the enduring themes that have propelled human history and fueled the rise of world civilization over the centuries.

Watch the Film Trailer

What Others Say About the Film

[Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World] does not attempt to cover the entire history or geography of Islamic art. There's a thematic approach instead, with sections devoted to a single broad topic: The Word, Space, Ornament, Color, Water. Art discussed in one section turns up in another, giving the film a cohesive sweep.

The Baltimore Sun

[Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World] brings masterpieces of Islamic civilizations up close. Few documentaries parallel Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World as a means to gain insight into Muslims and their heritage.

Common Ground News Service

The greatest and most memorable contributions civilizations make arise from outpourings of creativity and intelligence, not war and politics.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Islam generates art, not war.

Houston Chronicle

The extensive credits of Executive Producers Alex Kronemer and Michael Wolfe span over 10 years of film making and include: Enemy of the Reich; Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World; Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think; Allah Made Me Funny; On a Wing and A Prayer: An American Muslim Learns to Fly; Talking Through Walls; Prince Among Slaves; Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain; and Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet.

This film was produced and directed by Rob Gardner, whose credits include Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land; Islam: Empire of Faith; Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think; Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain; and Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire.

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